Row Ontario and Island Lake Rowing Club Partner for Pilot of Innovative Program

A new program aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of rowing across the province is set to begin in Orangeville, ON, as Row Ontario and the Island Lake Rowing Club have partnered together to launch the pilot.

The program, which is titled the ‘Grand Départ’ on an interim basis, will look to standardize and improve the way rowing is introduced to new participants, as well as how they progress from first contact to recreational, competitive or performance level programming. One of the primary goals of the program is to reshape the role Row Ontario plays within the rowing ecosystem, with a focus on working collaboratively with clubs to strengthen local rowing communities.

“We are very excited to be launching this program with the Island Lake Rowing Club,” said Andrew Backer, Row Ontario CEO. “Unfortunately, the reality is the number of people rowing in Ontario has been stagnant for several decades. As a PSO we need to be innovative on what role we play and how we support our member clubs to improve the quality of our sport and the number of people who participate in our sport. We think the principles in the standardized curriculum are going to have long-term positive effects on our sport across the country.”

Modeled after a similar program Aviron Quebec piloted in 2023/24, Row Ontario introduced the Grand Départ program in the Ontario rowing community over the last year by meeting with 17 member clubs to discuss the program and share its vision.

“The process of meeting with clubs across Ontario to share the program’s vision and purpose was hugely beneficial for us,” said Phil Marshall, Row Ontario Performance Director. “Each club had their own insights and many asked questions we hadn’t thought of yet. Those discussions made us re-think a few things and it was a really a collaborative effort to get to this point where we’re set to launch with Island Lake. The ‘Grand Départ’ translates to the ‘Big Start’ in English and we hope this first partnership with Island Lake will be the start of a new era for rowing in Ontario.”

The first phase of the pilot program will begin in April/May with a discovery program in 2-3 schools in the Island Lake Rowing Club’s local community, which is being supported by the local school board. The second phase will involve a first contact to rowing program in the summer of 2025.

“Island Lake Rowing Club is excited to be chosen as the location for this pilot project,” said the club on their partnership with Row Ontario. “We’re eager to bring more attention to rowing in Dufferin County. Our exceptional club resources have great potential to enhance the active lives of our community, and with the support of Row Ontario we can see many opportunities for the growth of our club and our sport.”

In addition to the discovery and first contact to rowing programs, the longer-term implementation for participating clubs includes updating the recreational and competitive curriculum for those programs at the club.

To coincide with the pilot of the full program with the ILRC, concepts and principles of the Grand Départ are being launched in smaller pieces in other phases of Row Ontario programming.

The Row Ontario Coaching Cohorts program, set to be launched in the spring, is one example. The Coaching Cohorts program, which consists of peer coach education groups who meet virtually once a week for 4-6 weeks, has the objectives of sharing and promoting best practices in coaching, assisting in the creation/establishment of standardized coaching practices in Ontario, and fostering collaboration and partnerships in improving the rowing experience for all participants.

The Row Ontario Cup regatta also made its debut on the Ontario regatta calendar last September. The structure of the Row Ontario Cup was borne out of discussions on how to better align competitions with the Athlete Development Model and the development pathway for rowing in Ontario. The participants compete in small boats (1x, 2x, or 2-) in a series of promotion/relegation races over short distances (250m to 500m), creating a model that promotes co-learning opportunities as they relate to the roles and responsibilities of athletes, coaches, umpires, and volunteers during a regatta. The announcement of 2025 Row Ontario Cup events will be made in the coming months.

Additionally, following the pilot program with the Island Lake Rowing Club, Row Ontario plans to expand the program to other rowing communities in the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026.

Row Ontario is currently seeking a new name for the program and hopes to have it in place by the end of the 2025. Any questions or inquiries about the Grand Départ can be directed to Andrew Backer or Phil Marshall.